Gun-tampion and means for actuating the same.



W. V. MOORE.

v GUN TAMPION AND MEANS FOR ACTUATING THE SAME.

APPLICATION FILED SEPLZZ, 1915.

Patented Juno 6, 1916.

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, Specification of Letters Patent.

Q a tum; afar.) arms 0R ac'ruarme arr-inserts.

I Application filed September 22, 1915. Serial No; 51,992.

' I I r To all whom zt may concern:

Be it knownthait 1, W LLIAM Y. Moons,

a citizen of the United- States,- and a resi dent of the'city of liew York,- borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have. inrented a new and Improved gunsand particularly to a gun .tampionior plugandme'ans for actuating the same,'and

proved construction whereby the muzzle of has for an-object the provision of an imthe gun is normally closed but is opened immediately before the charge is exploded.

Another object in view, is to' provide a mechanism for actuating the ,tampion ofa gun whereby. the samejis'quickly opened imv preventing the inflow of water in 1 gun is-near-thewa'terline. r A still further ob ect m 'viewis to provide -325 mediately beforethe discharge and closed immediately after, the discharge, thereby case the a mechanism for operating-the tampion of a gun in connection with the discharge mechanism of the gun whereby upon the closing of the circuit for discharging the gun the mechanism for operating the tampion will be firstiactuated and then. the mechanism for causing the explosion willbe'actuated. p

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is-a longitudinal vertical section through agun and-associated parts disclosing anembodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 ma transverse'section through Fig. 1 .on line 2-2';

-Fig. 3 is an enlargedlongitudinal rertical section, through. an air valve disclosed in Fl l."

, fieferring. to the accompanying drawings by numerals, 1 indicates a gun of any desired construction and 2 the breech block of any desired fbrmc'whicbi provided with a firing mechanism of any suitable form operated .by an electrical'current. On the drawing a firing pin and a solenoid are shown but this construction is merely disclosed in order to show an operative form as any suitable construction connected with the wires 4 and 5 would answer the purpose of the. invention. \Vire it is connected with a contact member 6 while wire 5 is connected to battery 7. Battery- T'is also connected with contact Scarried by rod 9 whereby when rod 9 is movedpartsconnected therewith "will be closed andthe firing mechanifm 3 will be actuated. In

' Patented J 6, 1916. i

order that the'rod '9 may properly operate a core 10- is mounted thereon, which core is I adapted to be moved'by solenoid 11, which solenoidis energizedby current from battery 12 when the switch 13 is closed.

'Rod9is mounted to-slide in supporting brackets 14, 15 and 16 carried by gun 1 and is normally held in the f position shown in F 1g. 1 by spr1ng'17 acting on bracket 16 andon a stop 18 rigidly secured to the rod.

The forward'en'd of rod;,9 is preferably bifurcated so that the lower end of lever 19 may extend therein, a pin 20 being connected with the bifurcated end of rod 9 and extending through slot 21 in lever 19, which lever is pivotally mounted at 22 on bracket 14 and rigidly connected with theplug or tampion' E23. A suitable check valve 21 is arranged in the tampion for allowing any excess air or gases in the gun 1 to escape after the tampion 23 has been closed. Arranged on the rod'9'near the bracket 15 is a cam25 which is adapted to engage roller 26v positioned on the lower end of the stem 27 of valve QSWhereby valve 28 is raised and unseated when cam 25 is moved to the dotted position shown in Fig. 1 A spring 29 norm'ally holds the valve 28 seated so that cam 25 must act against this spring. Valve 28 is interposed in a pipe 30, which pipe is connected with an air storage tank. \Yhen valve 28 is raised compressed air passes the projectile has moved out of the gun. A;

' check yalve 33 is preferably provided between valve .28 and the pipes Sland 32 so as 'to prevent the escape of gas through these pipes. allowthe air from pipe 30 to freely pass into the gun I after the projectile has. escaped The check valve 33 is intended to and also after part of the gases have escaped so as to blow out the remaining part'of the gases and act 'as a cleaning medium as well as meansfor preventing water from entering the gun before the tampion 23 can bereseated. Preferably the pipes 31. and 32 enter gun I immediately in front of the front end of the cartridge carrying the projectile so that the air may freely escape into the gun barrel as soon as the pressure therein has been reduced' to a point below the pressure 7 of air from n ne 30.

In operatiomafteif. the gun "has been sighted and it'is desired to discharge the same, switch 13 is-closed, which will cause the energizat on of solenoid 11 and consef uently therearward movement of the rod 9 The rod 9, by itsrearward movement, will.

cause the tam'pion23 to ihove to the dotted position shown Fig. l by the time contact i after the firing, solenoid "11 will be deener i zed andsprmg 17' will thenact for restoring the parts to the position shown in Fig. 1.

The gun must then be reloaded and if 'desired may be cleaned in the usual manner.

The detail construction of the gun and the firing mechanism forirf'no part of thepr'eseat nvention sothat' the same are merely moving saidtampion soas to close said gun and to move the tampion'so asto leave the moving the means operated by said rod when the same shown conventionally to illustrate the coaction of said parts with. the tampionand mechanism for actuating the same.

What I claim is: o 1. Ina device ofthe character described, the combination with a gun, or atampio'nior lug therefor, 'means for pivotally mounting-said tampion, a reciprocating rod for front of the gun exposed, a spring for moving said rod in one direction, a solenoidfor i od in the opposite direction, and

is actuated by said solenoid for causing the operation of the firing mechanism of. said gun. v

2. In a device' of the character described,

the combination with a gun provided with an electrically operated firing mechanism, of 2 a tampion for the gun, a reciprqcating, rod for moving said tampion to an operative and inoperative position, a spring for'moving,

said rod so that the tampion will bemoved to an operative or closed position, a solenoid for moving said i od,so that the tampionwill be moved to an inoperative or open position,

. and means operated by said rod when the same is actuated by the solenoid for closing the switch 13 is opened.

the circuit of said firing mechanism, said means being actuated as said rod approachesrto its extreme movement, whereby the firing mechanism is not actuated until after the tampion has been removed.

a 3. In a device of the character described,

the combinatidn' with a gun, of a tampi'on,

means for pivotally supportingsaid tampion' whereby the same may be moved to a position for covering the muzzle of said gun and movedto a position-out of the way of said gun, a lever extending from said tampion -for actuating the same, said. lever being provided'with-a slot, .a-reciprocating rod, said rod being provided witha pin extending through saidslot whereby when said rodis moved back and forth the tampion is opened 7 5 and cl.osed,'aspring acting on said rod to normally hold the same n such a position as to maintain the tampion closed, a core member connected with said rod. a solenoid'ad iacent said core member and: adapted to act thereon for maintaining said rod against the action of said spring for opening said tampion. I v

4 In a device of the character described,

the combination with a gun, of a tanipion for the muzzle thereof, a reciprocating'rod for moving said tampion so as to engage said muzzle and be moved therefrom at will', an

electrical member formoviiig said rod so as 4 to remove the tampionfrom the said muzzle,

and means actuated by said rod for switching on airunder pressure to the bore of said gun.

5. In a device of the character described.

the combination with-a gun, of a pivotally 95.,

mounted tampion for the muzzle thereof, a

- rodfor actuating said ta i pion, a spring acting on said rod for holding the same norma-lly in a positionfor maintaining the t m pion against electrically operated member for"actuatiug 'said rod so as to move the tainpion from said m uzz le, an electrically operated firing mechanism-fo'r said gun, and means mounted on said rod and acting to close the circuit of said electrically operated firing mechanism when said rod has-been movedforopening said tampion.

In testimony whereof I have signed iu v nameto this specification in the presence of.

twowitnesses. 4

WVILLIAM VINCENT MOOREQ Witnesses Gronor: M. HUmck, HARRY Various.

the muzzle of said gun. an 100 

